Stethoscope receptacle

ABSTRACT

A receptacle to receive and retain therein the chest piece of a stethoscope comprising a supporting wall, a front wall carried by said supporting wall forming a pocket therewith, said front wall having a downwardly extending open ended slot therein centrally thereof, a substantially rigid bendable plate member adjacent edge portions of said slot and being laminated into said front wall and a rearward plate-like hanger carried by said supporting wall for insertion as into a pocket.

United States Patent 1191 Collins Mar. 19, 1974 STETHOSCOPE RECEPTACLE 2,361,414 10/1944 Ramsey 224/5 H ux 69 [76] Inventor: Ronald J. Collins, 1608 3 8/1887 Fmsde 351/157 X Independence Ave North Golden v Valley, Minn. 55427 823,409 11/1959 England 224/26 R [22] Filed: May 1972 Primary ExaminerRobert G. Sheridan [21] Appl. No.: 251,688 Assistant Examiner-Jerold M. Forsberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Reif and Gregory [52] US. Cl. 224/5 H, 224/5 R, 224/26 R,

24/3 I-l, 128/205 5 [57] ABSTRACT 51 lm. Cl. A45c 11/00 A receptacle to receive and retam therein the chest [58] Field of Search 224/5 H, 5 c, 5 R, 5 A, Piece of a stethoscope comprising a supporting Wall, a 224/5 1" 25 R 2 R, 2 B, 2 2 5 3; front wall carried by said supporting wall forming 2 351/157; 24/3 H, 3 C, 3 B, 3 F 3 G 11 C pocket therewith, said front wall having a downwardly 11 HQ extending open ended slot therein centrally thereof, a substantially rigid bendable plate member adjacent 5 R f h cited edge portions of said slot and being laminated into UNITED STATES PATENTS said front wall and a rearward plate-like hanger carried by said supporting wall for insertion as into a 3.674.189 7/1972 Walbeck 224/5 C pocket 2,756.913 7/1956 Oswald 224/15 337L829 3/1968 Phillips 224/5 R 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures s'rsrnoscors RECEPTACLE SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention herein relates to a receptacle particularly adapted to hold the chest piece of a stethoscope.

It is the common practice of the person using a stethoscope, such as a medical docotr, to suspend the stethoscope by its binaurals from his neck. Thus as the doctor examines his patients and moves about, the stethoscope is in a dangling position swinging outwardly as he bends forwardly.

There does not appear to be any known receptacle particularly adapted conveniently to receive and hold a stethoscope upon the person of the user.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide a receptacle to receive and to hold the chest piece of a stethoscope to prevent the same from dangling and from swinging while the binaurals are secured to the neck of the user.

It is another object of this invention to provide a receptacle which is particularly arranged and constructed to receive and hold the chest piece of a stethoscope and to accommodate the projecting portions of said chest piece having the binaurals connected thereto.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a receptacle for the chest piece of a stethoscope which is adapted to readily receive said chest piece without the need of the user to first manually open or expand the receptacle for the insertion of the chest piece therein.

It is also an object of the invention herein to provide a receptacle of the type indicated herein which may be secured readily to the person of the user.

More generally stated, the invention herein comprises a receptacle formed as a pocket consisting of a rear wall, a front wall integral with said rear wall and of lesser height, said front wall having a vertically disposed open ended slot therein to accommodate the projecting portions of the chest piece of a stethoscope and to provide a receptacle for the remainder of said chest piece, said receptacle having a hanger portion carried by said rear wall as for insertion into a shirt or coat pocket.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a broken view showing the device herein in an operating position;

FIG. 2 is a view in front elevation with some portions thereof in dotted line;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation with a portion thereof in dotted line;

FIG. 4 is a view in vertical section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2 as indicated;

FIG. 5 is a view in front elevation of a portion of the device herein; and

FIG. 6 is a view in front elevation on a reduced scale showing a modification.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, the stethoscope holding device comprising the subject matter of the invention herein is formed as a receptacle It) and is particularly arranged and adapted to receive the chest piece of a stethoscope. Said receptacle is preferably formed of a tough flexible plastic material, the various portions of which may be secured together as by fusing or welding which is readily accomplished as by the application of heat in connection with conventional equipment.

Said receptacle 10 as here shown has a rear wall B2 of somewhat lesser width than a shirt pocket and overlying the lower front portion thereof is a front wall M. Said front wall has centrally transversely thereof a downwardly extending open ended slot 16, said slot being of sufficient width to accommodate the forwardly projecting portion 50 of the chest piece 51 of a common type of stethoscope 52. To stiffen edge portions of said slot, there is here shown disposed adjacent the sides and bottom thereof a U-shaped plate member 19 formed of a rigid bendable material such as of metal. Said plate member 119 preferably will be laminated within said front wall to be integral therewith and to be wholly contained therein.

Said front wall 14 and said rear wall 12 form a receptacle or pocket 20 therebetween into which the chest piece 51 of said stethoscope is disposed.

To facilitate the insertion of said chest piece 51 into said pocket 20, the upper corner portions 17 and 18 of said slot and the adjacent portions of said plate member 19 are curved outwardly somewhat whereby said chest piece upon engagement and being disposed between said outwardly curved corner or flap portions is guided into and readily enters said pocket 20, as indicated in FIGS. 3. and 4.

Said device 10 in the preferred embodiment here illustrated is shown depending from a pocket-like supporting member 23 of a size which may be inserted as into a shirt pocket comprising a wall 24 and a overlying wall 25 of a lesser height, said overlying wall being secured to be integral with said wall about the edge portion thereof as by fusing.

The wall 12 is secured along its upper edge 13 to the upper edge portion 27 of said wall 25. Thus the wall 12 is shown suspended from said wall 25 and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the member 23 in a supporting position is disposed into said pocket 26.

With the chest piece of said stethoscope disposed into said pocket 20, the binaurals 53 of said stethoscope are shown in FIG. I, in a holding position about the neck of the operator A.

A modification of said device 10 is shown in FIG. 6 indicated by the reference numeral 60 and in which parts previously described are indicated by like reference characters. Said device 60 comprises only the walls 12 and M and the pocket 20 therebetween with said wall 114 having the slot 16 therein. A bar pin 62 is provided at the upper portion of said wall 12.

Said pin will extend through said wall in a conventional manner having its tongue portion and clasp, not here shown, on the rear side thereof for pinning said device to a garment worn by the user. The device 60 may be otherwise secured.

The chest piece is nicely held in stationary position within said pocket 20 while not in use.

It will be of course understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention herein which, generally stated, consists in an apparatus capable of carrying out the objects said front wall portion having a vertical rectangular above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts upper open ended slot to accommodate the prodisclosed and defined in the appended claims. jecting portion of said chest piece,

What is claimed is: said receptacle being formed of a flexible material,

1. A receptacle to accommodate the projecting por- 5 a substantially rigid U-shaped frame member extendtion of the chest piece of a stethoscope, having in coming about the side and bottom wall portions of said bination slot, and

a rear wall portion, a supporting flap carried by said rear wall portion ina front wall portion carried by said rear wall portion sertable into a pocket for attachment to an operaand partially underlying the same and forming a tors clothing.

pocket therewith, 

1. A receptacle to accommodate the projecting portion of the chest piece of a stethoscope, having in combination a rear wall portion, a front wall portion carried by said rear wall portion and partially underlying the same and forming a pocket therewith, said front wall portion having a vertical rectangular upper open ended slot to accommodate the projecting portion of said chest piece, said receptacle being formed of a flexible material, a substantially rigid U-shaped frame member extending about the side and bottom wall portions of said slot, and a supporting flap carried by said rear wall portion insertable into a pocket for attachment to an operator''s clothing. 